Hello out there...I just wanted to know if anyone has done the "north rim" loop out of Yosemite Valley? This starts on the snow creek trail up past mt watkins, over to North Dome and over to Yosemite Falls and back down the valley. I am planning on doing this either later this summer....or perhaps next spring. It will either be a long day hike, or weekend trip. i just wanted to get an idea of how brutal it may....or may not be. I have done the Yosemite Falls hike, and Half Dome,prior, and I did Mt Whitney last year....so i am not new to tough hikes...it looks like a fun loop.

It is a fun loop! Go for it. It's been years since I did it, as it happens in the other direction. We did it as a two day trip and I don't remember much details except we loved camping right on the rim (even though not allowed) right past Yosemite Falls. We went in the spring so needed snowshoes during a bit of it. Without the extra weight it'll be much better. I'm sure very doable as a day hike.

I'm pretty sure I ran that in a couple of hours a "few" times, more than a "few" years ago. It will likely be hot and dry by June in any normal water year. This year being ~50% of normal – well. I'd recommend hitting it within a few weeks of the snow level melting past 8000', late "spring" as you have proposed, when surface water, greenery, and wildflowers may be abundant. But hey, it will likely be great, as it is Yosemite after all, ANY time of year, and certainly within your capabilities given your past hikes. For the record, my favorite late afternoon journey (run) was up the 4 Mile Trail and down the Panorama through Illilouette Ck. and down to Happy Isles via Nevada and Vernal Falls, made comfortable anytime the trail was dry, even in the heat of summer, by the shading provided by the route's general northern exposure (i.e., being on the South Rim).

Trip report from that route (Plus a side trip to Basket Dome)
http://www.fedak.net/albums/YosemiteNorthRim.html

Wow, those Pics are amazing!! I am looking forward to doing that hike! An even better loop(bigger, more adventurous) would be snow creek>north dome>yosemite falls> 4 mile trail>glacier point>happy isles! That would be a really long one. I think that would be something like 30+ miles. For now, my local Pyramid hike, and anticipation of hiking in Yosemite as soon as possible

An fun alternative to the route is to skip the Snow Creek Trail and climb up Indian Canyon. It is a great scramble with some real surprises (look for steel ladders) and gives you the chance to go to the base of Lehamite Falls. From the top of the canyon it is easy to pick up the North Rim Trail and head to either Yosemite Falls or Snow Creek. The first time we did it we went down Snow Creek. I think the Yosemite Falls option is much, much preferable. This is a solid day hike; overnight is optional.